The son of William Wellborn and Hepzibah Stearns. Husband of Rebecca Montgomery, the daughter of Hugh Montgomery and Catherine Sloan. Married 60 years.

GENERAL JAMES WELLBORN

In his day General James Wellborn was probably the most prominent man in the county. He married Rebecca Montgomery, one of the two heirs to the large tracts of land known as the Moravian surveys.

James Wellborn was appointed General of the militia about the close of the Revolutionary War. From the year 1796 to 1835 General Wellborn served in the State Senate thirty years. He served in succession from 1796 to 1811, from 1817 to 1821, in 1823 and 1824, in 1828 to 1829, in 1832 and in 1834 and 1835. Prior to 1835 members of the General Assembly were elected each year, so Wellborn was elected thirty times in 39 years. The fact that a men can stand so popular for 39 years is honor enough for one man. I doubt if the world can furnish a like example.

During his terms in the Senate General Wellborn made strenuous efforts to have the State build a turnpike road from the mountains to the sea, but he failed. That was before any railroads were built in North Carolina and the turnpike would have been a great thing for the people of the west, but east had the majority and they knew that the people of the west had to come to them for their necessities turnpike or no turnpike, and they were not willing to be taxed to build the road for accommodation of the people of the west.

Note: The following was written by a descendant of Gen. James Wellborn on GenForum #1741 December 8, 2004:

James Wellborn {General War of 1812--he signed General in his letter of resignation} died 4 December 1854 in Wilkes County, NC and is buried there--on a hill near the homeplace. The homeplace and the large cemetery no longer exist. The cemetery was destroyed several years ago. His son, Samuel Chapley Wellborn died 23 March 1856 and was buried near his father in that same family cemetery. There were stones for both of them--destroyed. I visited the cemetery before it was destroyed and have the inscriptions from all the stones.

It was largely through the efforts of General Wellborn that his brother-in-law, Montfort Stokes, was twice elected to the United States Senate and once elected to Governor of the State.

He was buried on his plantation about 3 miles west of Wilkesboro. Findagrave # 86254712